Main Street, May 1972
May, 1972 would have been a swell time to visit Disneyland! You still had the Carousel of Progress, the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland, and Donald Duck's Pantsless Coaster. I could be in these! But I'm not. It wouldn't be long before my family rode their bicycles from SoCal to Pennsylvania, where we would live for the next few years.
Our first scan of the day features two kids proudly showing off their new souvenir hats, possibly bought at the newsstand/souvenir stand near the entrance to the tunnel beneath the train tracks. I have a Donald Duck hat (with the squeaky bill) much like the one the boy is wearing, though mine is a few years older. The girl has a hat with newfangled white mouse ears, which look a bit odd to my eye. It's nice to get the Balloon Vendor as a bonus, as well as the Horseless Carriage.
Next is a view looking south from about where the Kodak shop was on Main Street (which was next door to the Hallmark store). An Omnibus putt-putts toward us as the afternoon shadows grow longer across Main Street. The Cinema is showing a Fatty Arbuckle movie - I miss the days when it showed more than just Mickey Mouse short films.
4 comments:
Major-
LOOK... it's the backside of balloons-! Now we can see how each string is splayed outward for tangle-free handling.
That tree in front of the Story Book Shop & Candle Shop is certainly flexing its branches towards the heavens - the kink in the trunk notwithstanding.
Thanks, Major.
The boy clearly went to modeling school... or maybe he's just copying the poses he saw in the Sears catalog. If he wants to be true to the Donald Duck 'look', he should remove his pants. Little Sis hasn't quite mastered the art of smiling yet. I agree, the white ears are kinda strange; they look more like real mouse ears somehow. Looks like there are a few black Mickey balloons here, unlike the pic we saw the other day. I wonder if they sold well? They look more like Mickey, but maybe folks would prefer the colorful ones more?
The bottom level of the Omnibus looks pretty full, but there's hardly anyone on top! How can that be? There's a nice yellow Mickey balloon up there though. Does that guy (up top) have his shoe resting on the railing?!? "Get thee to the Churro Mines!"
I guess I missed "Donald Duck's Pantsless Coaster" when we were there in '75. Maybe it was a ToonTown attraction that came later. Thanks, Major.
In that first image - if you look at the building in the back you’ll notice the “Disney : A Legacy For The Future” attraction is missing its marquee and its windows are covered inside with block-out paper ! It’s being converted to “Disneyland Showcase - A Preview of Future Attractions” … this happens as much of the original exhibit was now going to be featured in the Walt Disney Story attraction. Scheduled to open in 1973 for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney Productions. Ironically when “Disneyland Showcase - A Preview of Future Attractions “ opened it was 75% about Walt Disney World Phase Two … and about 25% Disneyland … and showed plans to bring many of the new Walt Disney World attractions to California…. space mountain , Liberty Square, Hall of Presidents , Thunder Mesa Runnaway railroad , Western River Expedition , Pinocchio’s Village, a Fantasia attraction. , and a Island at the Top of the World, and the hit of Florida : Country Bear Jamboree was already underway in the new BEAR COUNTRY .
That kid (and his parents) didn't remove the price tag from the underside of his Donald Duck hat. Maybe they knew that leaving it there would only increase the hat's value in 50 years.
The Cinema is showing a Fatty Arbuckle movie - I miss the days when it showed more than just Mickey Mouse short films.
Major, me too! But I'm so glad I happened to be at the park the one and only day that the Main St. Cinema was showing "A Clockwork Orange."
Thanks for the nice 1970s pics, Major!
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